Niantic has announced it will be closing down its AR title Harry Potter: Wizards Unite.
Best known as the creators of Pokemon Go, Niantic developed Wizards Unite which is set in J.K. Rowling's Wizarding World universe. It is similar to Pokemon Go in that it is an augmented reality geo-location-based game. But it seems it hasn't been as successful.
On its site, Niantic said it will be shuttering Harry Potter: Wizards Unite on January 31, 2022. The game will no longer be available from the App Store, Google Play, and Galaxy Store from December 6, meaning the title will be removed in a month. In addition, it will end in-game purchases on that date.
Harry Potter: Wizards Unite has not been around for long, as it launched in summer 2019 on iOS and Android devices. Niantic had hoped to capture some of the success that Pokemon Go had managed, but in a Harry Potter guise.
"When we launched Harry Potter: Wizards Unite, our vision was to allow players to experience the wizarding world right in their real-world surroundings as they stepped outside and explored their neighborhoods," Niantic's statement read.
But it is clear Wizards Unite has not been able to find similar success to Pokemon Go, as that title is still going strong, while this one is set for closure.
In Wizards Unite, players found themselves in a story set after the events of Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows - J.K. Rowling's sixth novel in her best-selling children's fantasy series. Harry Potter, Ron Weasley and Hermione Granger joined the Ministry of Magic and found themselves facing The Calamity - a situation where magic was starting to appear in the muggle (non-magical) world. This is bad as it jeopardises the International Statute of Secrecy, an ancient law that keeps magic secret and the wizarding world separate from that of muggles.
Niantic promises an end to this story as Harry and Hermione will put an end to the Calamity. Additionally, gameplay changes to Wizards Unite will take effect from today. The full list of changes can be read here. Over the coming weeks, players can also expect story events such as the release of the remaining Lethal Adversaries.
Niantic has said the community forum and all associated socia media channels related to the game will also be closed on January 31, 2022.